I can't go without mentioning that my car "broke down" last week. The engine was running at 3,500 RPM at an idle. After consulting with Kyle (my brother-in-law who is a mechanic) we took it to a Chevy dealership here in CR, against my will. I would much rather have taken it to whoever was the cheapest shop I could find. Tanner dropped off the car in the morning. That's when he found out that they were going to charge up to $120 just to look at it- no work included! They agreed to drive the car, and if it wouldn't act up then they wouldn't charge me. When we picked it up that afternoon (to take it somewhere cheaper) it hadn't acted up for them. So we drove off. And it acted up. But, they were already closed for the day.
After leaving the car at a hotel for the evening to cool off, we got it back home. Kyle said if I could get the car to him (an hour away) that he's at least look at it and maybe through a few parts at it. So my dad said he would try to pull it home for me. Well, long story short, Dad had his own things to think about and by Friday we still hadn't gotten it to Kyle.
Friday evening we went to Payton's last baseball game of the season. He had a couple of really good hits and even played catcher for an inning. We enjoyed seeing him play.
After the game we went to Trilby's house for dinner along with Tasha, Kyle and Mom. While we were there, Kyle showed us (on Tanner's car) the part he thought needed changed and said we could probably try doing it ourselves. So on Sunday, when we had some free time, Tanner drove to the store and bought the part. That's when I realized my hidden talents. ;) As Tanner stood near providing and extra hand and continual reminders that "we can talk to Stan you know" (Stan is our neighbor who probably knows more about cars than Tanner and I put together), I moved a couple of parts out of the way to then remove the "broken" part. After successfully doing that, I put the new part in and returned everything to where it started. Yes, my hands were greasy. Yes, Tanner was a little bothered by having grease on his hands. No, I didn't have a clue what I was doing. But we did it! And it probably saved us $200!!
It's not that often that I am genuinely proud of myself. After successfully completing that task, I am so damn proud of myself! I told the girls at work that I was going to fix that part before I ever took it to a dealer who charges $120 for nothing...and by gosh, that's what I did. It was a new sense of empowerment that I felt.
Now let's just hope that's the part that actually needed replaced.
2 comments:
We're proud of you too, Trina!! All of those times you were "Dad's Little Helper" really paid off! But your Dad is insulted that you didn't mention the consulting you did with him over this problem! Now, the air conditioner doesn't work in the Intrepid, do you have time to fix that?
My air hasn't worked right for over a year and I can't get anyone to fix it for me. Will you give it a try?? Terrific job!! Next thing you know you will be changing your own oil and rotating your own tires!! That would save you a ton of money too!!
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